By Tracy Helgerson
Usually, sports teams prefer to play at home, but the Jordan Hubmen basketball team has found success on the road, having won three games this past week and eight consecutive away games. Jordan’s overall record is 9-2. They are 8-1 on the road and 1-1 at home. This past week, the Hubmen defeated Watertown-Mayer 77–72, Randolph 81–63, and Providence Academy 77–53.
Jordan 77, Watertown-Mayer 72
On Tuesday, it was a slow start for the Hubmen at Watertown. The Royals jumped out to an 18-7 lead. However, the Hubmen’s defense picked up its intensity and shots started to fall. Brayden Davis stole the ball and fed Graham Helgerson for a layup. Jacob Conrady hit a three for the Hubmen to cut the Royals lead to 25-20. On defense Owen Halvorson took a charge, and a few plays later Mitchell Schmidt connected on a three bringing the Hubmen within one, 32-31. The Royals led 34-33 at the half.
Jordan carried the momentum into the second half. Brayden Davis made two big defensive plays which forced Watertown Mayer into consecutive turnovers. Those turnovers led to Mitchell Schmidt connecting on a three-pointer, and Noah Robinson scoring an easy layup. Jordan started the half on a 10-0 run to take the lead 44-34. The Royals responded with a run of their own to cut the Jordan lead to 47-44. The Hubmen countered with three-pointers by Brayden Davis and Mitchell Schmidt and extended their lead to 53-44. With 9 minutes left in the game, the Hubmen held a 58-46 advantage. Watertown Mayer scored off Hubmen miscues to cut the lead to 60-57. Both teams had runs in the final six minutes. The Royals cut the Hubmen lead to 72-69 with 30 seconds remaining. Jordan converted 5 of 6 free throws to earn the win 77-72.
Four players scored double figures for the Hubmen. Mitchell Schmidt led Jordan with 23 points, Noah Robinson contributed 16, Lexyn Grof scored 14 and Brayden Davis chipped in 11. Defensively, the four combined for 22 rebounds.
Jordan 81, Randolph 63
Thursday night was almost a carbon copy of Tuesday night’s game. The Hubmen once again got off to a slow start. The Rockets took early leads of 9-6, 18-12, and 29-17. Down 31-20, Lexyn Grof made a baseline three-pointer and connected on another three on the ensuing play. Jordan gained momentum. The Hubmen were 5 of 5 at the free throw line to go into halftime ahead 37-32.
With a stifling defense and great team play on offense, the Hubmen did not relinquish the lead in the second half. Jordan led by 10 for most of the half. The Hubmen were up 77-63 with 1:31 left in the game when bench substitutions were made. Jordan defeated Randolph 81-63. The Hubmen shot 43% compared to 34% by the Rockets. Jordan also made 19/22 free throws.
It was quite a shooting night for Lexyn Grof who scored 30 points which included making 10 of 11 free throws. Noah Robinson recorded a double double with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Mitchell Schmidt chipped in 12 points and 9 rebounds.
Jordan 77, Providence Academy 53
On Saturday, the Hubmen came out on fire. Lexyn Grof hit a three. Noah Robinson hit a three. Down 12-0, the Providence Academy Lions were forced to call a timeout. Providence made a run to cut the Jordan lead to 18-13. Then the Hubmen went on a 16-4 run to double up the Lions, 34-17. Both teams scored 9 points the rest of the way, and Jordan led 43-26 at the half.
The second half was dominated by Jordan. The Hubmen were able to score at will and make many defensive stops. They went on a 22-9 run to extend the lead to 65-35. With 7 minutes left in the game, the Hubmen cleared their bench with all players seeing action. The final score was 77-53.
It was a balanced scoring effort for Jordan with four players in double figures. Lexyn Grof paced the Hubmen with 19 points, Noah Robinson added 18 (16 points in the first half). Graham Helgerson added 14 and Mitchell Schmidt chipped in 12.
The Hubmen are home this week for two games:
● 1/14 vs St. Peter, 5:30 PM
● 1/17 vs Hutchinson, 7:00 PM (Parent’s Night)